2 or 3 Laughs with HAMID: The Tracks 'Oatmeal', 'The More Each Year', 'Short Enough', and 'The Spiritual May Become the Sacred' from our Album COMPASSION / Poems with Drums.

Thanks very much for your responses to 'In Bed / Making Love with One You Love'

The laugh of HAMID DRAKE is something rich and rolling. He’s learned to laugh so fully, I think through his deeply visiting many cultures. From Louisiana to Chicago to Africa and India and China and Peru and umpteen Nations of Europe.

Here are two poems that Hamid and I recorded on February 20, 2016 in Rick G. Nelson’s Marigny Studio, ‘The More Each Year’ and ‘The Spiritual May Become the Sacred’, preceded by that surpassing laugh of his. MARYSE was precent to catch the humor.

‘Oatmeal’

‘The More Each Year’

The above is Page 2 from the 12-Page booklet for our Album.

‘Short Enough’

‘The Spiritual May Become the Sacred’

This short poem came to me on the Saturday morning of our recording COMPASSION, inspired by Hamid’s performance with fellow hand-drummer Michael at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center.

Below is the Page in our COMPASSION booklet that briefly survey Hamid and his career of astonishing intersections.

The COMPASSION Album surprised us with its reception in 2021 into 2023. An Album of Poems and Drums somehow reached and stayed among the Top 10 of Contemporary Jazz Albums across North America. It stayed among the Top 5 of ALL Albums in Indiana! We saw a whole ‘nother world of listeners in the reality of Community and College Radio Stations and their audiences! It was great!

More humor below.